Michelle Frances

The addictive Number One bestselling thriller, perfect for fans of Into the Water.

A girl. A boy. His mother. And the lie she’ll wish she’d never told.

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances is a gripping and chilling debut psychological thriller, based on the fall-out following an unforgivable lie. It looks at the potentially charged relationship between girlfriend, boyfriend and his mother, which most women can identify with, and locates it in an extreme but believable setting.

Laura has it show more all. A successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband, and a twenty-three year-old son, Daniel, who is kind, handsome, and talented. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young, beautiful and smart but she hasn’t had the same opportunities as Daniel. And she wants Laura’s life.

Cherry comes to the family wide-eyed and wants to be welcomed with open arms, but Laura suspects she’s not all that she seems.

When tragedy strikes, an unforgivable lie is told. It is an act of desperation, but the fall-out will change their lives forever.
Michelle Frances

Michelle Frances graduated from Bournemouth Film School in 1996 and then from the Masters program at the American Film Institute, Los Angeles, in 1998. Returning to London, she has worked for several years in film and TV as a script editor and producer for both the independent sector and the BBC.

The Girlfriend is her first novel.

MY THOUGHTS:

Okay, I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a debut novel, I felt this book was well done. Vibes from the movie “Monster-In-Law” came into play for me while reading this book. Although it’s suppose to be a Suspense Fiction, I really felt it was more to do with family drama involving one majorly dysfunctional rich family. A slow burn up until about halfway and then an explosive shove occurs to race to an unforgettable end.

The character development was awesome despite the slow moving transitions from one plot event to another. There were a few predictable plot twists (and a few unpredictable), ending with very predictable turns. The saving grace for all the plot issues was the author’s incredible voice. Her writing style was smooth and unexpected for a debut author.

Laura comes across as very strong, yet desperate. She seems to have a lot to deal with. Her obsession, although unhealthy, is understandable considering the idiot of a husband she has. His affair and treatment of her would put anyone in therapy for years because of the emotional abuse she endures. I do and don’t understand why she chooses to stay, but this relationship breakdown with her husband absolutely explains her obsession with her son. That, and the fact that she lost one child before Daniel and feels partly to blame for this death, her desire to hold tightly to her only remaining child is understandable. The woman needs serious therapy. Perhaps, Michelle Frances can write it up in the sequel, “The Analysis of Laura.” lol ok, maybe not.

The manipulation of Daniel was pitiful. It was written well, but was so sad to watch it unfold, and all I could think of, was how dense he was, or, how naive and shame on the women for treating him so horribly.

So, I was obviously invested in this story, being pulled in to the cat fight and emotional tug-of-war Daniel faced.

Cherry was a typical money grubber, out to find herself a rich husband. I didn’t like her, or her character as it grew. She was fake, selfish, self-centered oh, I should just say a narcissistic sociopath. I’d protect my family from that too.

Laura and Cherry’s interactions were excellently written. I hated it all. lol I found myself enjoying the story even if it did strike me a time or two as being something that Danielle Steele would write.

As a character driven book reader, finding myself hating both the Protagonist and the Antagonist was quite unexpected, interesting and enjoyable, not to mention something I rarely read. It was interesting to find that I could still like a story despite hating the main characters which surely points to the writing prowess of the author? Kudos for such an accomplishment.

If you like insane roller coaster rides, then I highly recommend this book. show less

Wow - what an intense psychological page turner. Once I started, I couldn't put it down because I just had to know how it would end. It's so well written that it's difficult to believe that this is a debut novel - I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

This is kind of a love triangle. Daniel and his mother, a TV executive, have always been close. Even though Laura is married, her husband is too involved with his job and his mistress to pay much attention to her or to their son. show more Daniel is 23 and starting medical school when he meets THE ONE. Cherry works in a rental agency and when she meets Daniel does she see dollar signs or true love? She is very manipulative but continues to profess her love for Daniel. Laura sees Cherry for who she really is and Cherry goes all out to break the relationship between Daniel and his mom and make Daniel totally dependent on her. We have a mother with a too close relationship with her son and a girlfriend who wants him all to herself. It's a fantastic read to find out the answer to that question.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thoughts’ Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own. show less

Carrie and Adrian are the “it” couple; highly successful with all the luxuries to show for it. Adrian is a script writer of popular show series; Carrie is an accomplished producer on his series. They have everything they could ever want. Or so they thought. Children were never part of their vision but when Carrie becomes pregnant, she’s so excited but Adrian is not. And now there’s a crack in their perfect world.
Enter Emma. Emma who never lived up to her parents expectations no show more matter what she did. Emma, who feared her parents’ disappointments but could never be the daughter they wanted her to be. But Emma is smart, young and eager and is perfect to fill in for Carrie while she is on maternity leave. But Emma has another agenda.
There are so many books out now in this genre. Psychological thrillers have become so popular and have become my favourites to read. I like to get into one, sometimes not even reading the jacket synopsis, and see where the book takes me. I like being surprised and not knowing as the book unfolds and I’m left to ponder how it’s going to play out.
This book “The Temp” didn’t disappoint. I knew early on that everything wasn’t always what it seemed. Who is Emma? And what does she really want? As more and more is revealed, there are some delightful twists and turns I did not fully expect. While a little was predictable, more towards the end, there were plenty of surprises in store.
Often a book is spoiled for me by an unlikable character but this one was not. I loathed Adrian pretty much from the beginning and throughout the whole book but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book. I could find very few redeeming qualities in Adrian whereas I was endeared by both Carrie and Emma. Not just because they were both women, but there was a vulnerability in both that I understood and could relate to and couldn’t help feeling a bit of an emotional attachment to both especially as bits of their worlds crumbled around them.
With so many of this genre of book out, it begins to be tougher for an author to write one that stands out, the one everyone needs to read. I found this one better than many. It was not a 5 star for me, but still highly enjoyable, intriguing and suspenseful trip for me; solid 4 stars.
Thanks to net galley and the publishers for the privilege of writing a review by sending me this book free in exchange for an honest review. show less

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read and review this amazing book by Michelle Francis! Wow! This book was fabulously juicy! One of those great drama-filled tales that reminded me a bit of GONE GIRL in the twistedness of it all. First the players. We have Laura, the rich and overly involved mom. Daniel, the doctor in training and son of millionaires with a trust fund. And Cherry, the girl from the poor side of town who very much wants to move up in the show more world, no matter what she has to do in order to make that happen.

Some mother in law and girl their son is dating relationships go great. Others are quite tension-filled. This one is off the charts as author Frances slowly ratchets up the tension. But what’s beautifully done is the rationalization as we’re in both their heads. Things start off fairly reasonably, and the psychological motivation is so well planned out here you just can’t put the book down, but have to keep turning the page as Laura and Cherry twist the knife deeper and deeper, each determined to win out in their battle for control over Daniel. This was an awesome read!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less